July 4th is here! We’re all excited for the cookouts and barbecues that come with it but what’s for dessert? The red, white and blue theme of the day makes it easy to have fun and get creative with your recipes.

Don’t let adults have all the Independence Day fun! The easiest way to get children involved is to give them tons of options for toppings. Here are some red and blue fruit options that make for yummy dessert toppings.

You can go with the traditional fruit kabob if you’d like but one of my favorite desserts to put fruit toppings on is the classic pound cake. It’s great with whipped cream, which can be the white to your red, white and blue. Our original recipe is sure to make the children and adults as happy as ever!

Crumble the brown sugar into a bowl so that there are no lumps. Add the softened butter and almond extract. Stir to blend.

Use a serrated knife to slice the frozen pound cake into 8 equal slices - it is important that the slices all be the same thickness. Spread both sides of each slice with the brown sugar butter. Dip the buttered pound cake into the chopped almonds until evenly coated and press almonds into butter lightly. Place in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Ten minutes before serving, preheat the Cuisinart™ Griddler fitted with the flat griddle plates to 375°F. When hot, arrange 4 slices of the almond coated pound cake on the bottom griddle plate. Close, apply light pressure to lid for 10 seconds, and cook for 2-1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove from Griddler™ and repeat with remaining 4 slices.

Serve the Toasted Almond Pound Cake warm It may be served plain, or topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream or softly whipped cream.